Massive Oxford Post

I can't say enough about how much fun I had in Oxford. Sam, our host, was magnificent. He got us into places that I'm sure we wouldn't have been able to access otherwise. He goes to Oxford University, which is made up of 40 separate colleges. I think I've already gone over that. Either way it was great.

So we woke up Tuesday morning to James, one of Sam's flatmates, calling us outside.



Apparently a blimp had fallen sometime over night and was hanging in the front of their house from electrical wires. After some work we got it down, and took it to the backyard to assess the damages. We had a big plan for the day, but it was completely eclipsed by the fact that we woke up to a massive blimp.



After a bit of work we'd taped it back together and then tried to figure out how to get air back into it. We walked around the neighborhood asking people if they had a pump, trying to be inconspicuous about what we'd found. After just under an hour of searching we gave up and went to get lunch. After lunch: tour of Oxford then punting.



I just can't get over how beautiful Oxford is. Everything is so old and lovely. Sam's college was established in 1238. It's mad! He was a great guide.







Next he took us to a part of Oxford that we were pretty excited to see: parts of the campus where Harry Potter was flimed. Things did look familiar!


This is a hallway where right outside by the tree in the next picture ...Harry did something. Turn a student into a frog or something? Earlier on in the movies. I don't know much about Harry Potter but it was wild how familiar it looked.




I for sure recognized this part. This is the main dining hall - they definitely used CGI to make it look a million times bigger than it is.

After touring we sat by the Thames for a bit. I told Sam I wanted to put my feet in it and he recommended not, joking about all the diseases I'd get. Since I couldn't get a picture of my feet in the Thames, I took a picture of duck's feet in it.



Turns out the ducks are very friendly. Neither Ellie Nor I liked that much.



After touring we headed for the punts.




So this whole time I'd thought punting was a sport. All the online explanations don't make much sense to me. Sam said it was something you had to be a member of the college to avoid paying. I'd again assumed they were some sort of professionals. Basically you stand at one end with a massive stick and push it. That's it! Though I have to say it's really freaking hard, way harder than it looks. Though Sam just acted like a goob most of the time hah.



Him acting like a goob resulted in us going into a waterfall-esque thing, nearly sinking the punt. Sam and Felix leaped to shore leaving Theo, me, Ellie, and Mary in the punt. Despite the fact that the water is maybe 2 feet deep at most, we really REALLY didn't want to be in it. Luckly there was a paddle in the boat and Theo being a pro punter managed to row us out of what would have for sure be a sunken punt situation.



As if Sam hadn't caused enough raucous he decided once we'd unflodded the boat and had it in water again (with another inch of water still inside!) he showed us how to play the bridge game. You crawl up onto a bridge while the punt goes under it and then jump back on. He was a few seconds too late and had to jump in the river - pretty hilarious and seemingly deserved. (Just kidding, Sam!)



After his stunt we all just sat back and relaxed while Theo/Sam took turns motoring us back to shore so we could make the 6pm deadline.



After punting we played crochet on the green. Ellie and I kept laughing because the whole situation was so absurd - playing crochet on the green of Oxford University next to a deer park. Yes, you heard correctly - one school has it's own massive park where a ton of deer live. Something about playing crochet with deers galloping next to you calls for black and white pictures:


(Sam thought this shot was pretty "huge" as he calls it - the American equivalent of really awesome and hilarious)






After crochet we went to the grocery and bought things to make vegetable stir fry for dinner over a bottle of wine. We finished up the night playing Super Mario Kart - felt just like home! haha

All in all I honestly can't say enough about Oxford. To think that all that happened in 1 day blows my mind. I think so highly of Sam and his friends. I hope I have an opportunity to run into them again someday!